Pueblo continued its dominance in the Battle for I-19, beating host Cholla 48-3 on Friday night to stay undefeated in 4A Gila play.
“The rivalry goes way back. It’s exciting to keep the trophy on our side, I’m just excited to play another game,” Pueblo quarterback Roman Otero, whose team has won four straight games and is 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the 4A Gila.
Pueblo now leads the series with Cholla 34-16.
Cholla (2-5, 0-2) looked to catch Pueblo off guard early. On the first play of the game, junior quarterback Damian Estrella connected with junior wide receiver Victor Rojo to set up the offense deep in Pueblo territory. The drive ended with Cholla settling for a field goal, which ended up being its only points of the night.
Pueblo wasted no time scoring on its first possession. Otero found senior wide receiver Fernando Garcia on a 40-yard pass to give Pueblo the lead.
Roman Otero’s big plays against Cholla.
On its next offensive possession, Pueblo would score again on a 90-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jeremiah Sandoval. Giving Pueblo the 14-3 lead.
Before the end of the first quarter, Cholla had what looked to be a promising drive, but it was halted after the Pueblo defense forced and recovered a fumble, giving its offense the ball to start the second quarter.
The two teams traded takeaways to start the second quarter. Junior quarterback Alijah Black-Smith came up with an interception for Cholla. The next play, the Pueblo defense forced its second fumble of the night, setting up their offense at the Cholla 17.
Pueblo added on to its lead with a 17-yard run from Sandoval.
Cholla had no answer for Pueblo’s running game. After forcing another three-and-out, senior running back Andrew Armenta joined in on the fun with a 41-yard run to set Pueblo at Cholla’s 5-yard line. The next play, Pueblo ran it in again, this time with senior tight end Anthony Sanchez. The two-point attempt was good.
Cholla tried to get something going before the end of the half, only for its drive to stall at midfield. After punting the ball, Pueblo would be set up at its own 20.
Otero hit junior wide receiver Darius Taylor on an 80-yard screen pass for another Pueblo score before halftime. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score 35-3 to end the first half.
To start the second half, the Pueblo offense picked up where it left off, with Otero finding senior wide receiver Aron German for a 55-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt was unsuccessful.
Before the end of the game, Pueblo scored once more. Otero connected on a 12-yard pass to senior wide receiver Dominic Ornelas, making the final score 48-3.
Pueblo looks to continue its winning streak at home against Rio Rico for its first of three straight home games to end the regular season. The Warriors started the season with three straight road games, all losses against Youngker, Sunnyside and Douglas, while their new turf field was completed.
“We’ve had some tough opponents in those first three games (all on the road). No one pointed fingers; they just came to work, and you’re seeing the hard work paying off right now,” Pueblo coach Sly Lewis said.
Cholla will try to snap its five-game losing streak traveling to play Rincon/University.
Both games take place on Friday at 7 p.m.
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